Yerriyong crash victim identified as Shoalhaven man

CRASH SITE: Emergency services at the scene of a crash on Braidwood Road Monday morning.

A man killed in a head-on crash between a four-wheel drive and a truck on Braidwood Road on Monday morning has been identified.

Police have said the man, who was the only occupant of the four-wheel drive, was from the Shoalhaven but have not released his name or age.

The man’s death was one of seven fatal accidents on NSW roads since Sunday.

Police said more than three times the number of lives have been lost in crashes on rural NSW roads compared to the metropolitan area, prompting NSW Police to reinforce the unique risks of driving in country areas.

These events take the rural road toll to 152, compared to 49 in the Sydney metropolitan area, with 201 lives lost on NSW roads this year.

Assistant Commissioner Michael Corboy said crashes on rural roads were a tragic reminder of the risks for road users.

"There have been 12 crashes this year resulting in multiple lives being lost in regional areas. This compares to 11 similar crashes for this time last year,” he said.

“To have seven lives lost since Sunday (July 16) , two of those in the same crash, highlights the need for all road users to drive, ride, cycle, and walk to the conditions.”

Monday’s crash, west of Nowra, was approximately 10km from the intersection of Braidwood and Albatross roads.

A four-wheel drive, travelling west and and a truck, towing a dog trailer, travelling east, collided at Yerriyong around 7.30am.

The collision caused extensive damage to both vehicles, with the truck leaving the road and travelling for around 50 metres before rolling. The cabin came to rest on its side and the trailer jackknifing near roadside bush.

By mid afternoon police crash investigators had still not identified the dead man.

The 65-year-old truck driver, also from the Shoalhaven, was trapped in the cabin with Ambulance Rescue paramedics having to cut him free of the wreckage.

He was stabilised at the scene and then airlifted by the NSW Ambulance Toll Rescue Helicopter to St George Hospital, suffering serious lower back, chest and pelvic injuries.

The Crash Investigation Unit are preparing a report for the coroner.

Braidwood Road between Albatross Road and Turpentine Road was closed for a number of hours while investigations into the crash were undertaken.